Colts owner Jim Irsay says center Jeff Saturday, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday, will miss two to six weeks.
“We’ve seen guys come back in two weeks, you see some guys come back in six weeks,” Irsay said. “You’re hoping it’s the shorter side of the scale.”
If it is on the shorter side of the scale, Saturday would miss just two preseason games and be back for the third preseason game, on August 26 at Green Bay. Having him on the field for that game would be nice for the Colts, as the third preseason game is typically the one when teams want to have as many of their starters on the field together as possible. But it doesn’t seem likely that the Colts would rush Saturday back from surgery just to have him play in a preseason game.
If Saturday does miss six weeks, he’d miss the whole preseason and the first two regular-season games before returning Week Three. Playing the first two games without their starting center and a team leader would be a tough way to start the season for the Colts.
If Saturday splits the difference and misses four weeks, he’ll be back just in time for the regular-season opener. That feels like the best bet.